Privacy Policy

BerryMate · Effective 6 August 2026

Who we are

BerryMate is an independent iOS app. The data controller is GinnyPix, reachable at hello@ginnypix.com.

What stays on your device

• Recorded walks — GPS routes, written to files in the app's own storage.
• Finds and spots — species, amounts, notes, dates and coordinates.
• Photos you attach or capture in the app.
• Your species list.

None of this is uploaded, backed up to us, or visible to anyone else. We cannot see your foraging spots. If you delete the app, this data is deleted with it.

iCloud — off unless you turn it on

By default nothing leaves your phone. If you switch on Back up and sync with iCloud — in onboarding or in Settings — your spots, finds and custom species are stored in your own private iCloud database, so they survive a lost phone and appear on your other devices signed into the same Apple Account.

That data goes to Apple's iCloud under your Apple Account, not to us. We have no server that holds your places and no way to read them. Recorded walks are never synced; they stay on the device that recorded them. Turning the setting off stops further syncing; anything already in your iCloud stays there until you remove BerryMate's data in iOS Settings › your name › iCloud.

Location

BerryMate requests While Using the App location access only, and never requests Always access. Location is used to draw your route, place your finds on the map, and guide you back to a saved spot. Recording continues while the screen is locked, which iOS indicates with a blue status bar; this is still "while using". Your location is never transmitted to us or to anyone else.

Photos

When you import photos, BerryMate reads their capture date and coordinates so finds land in the right place and time. Photos you select are read on your device only.

AI identification — the one network feature

When you tap Scan to identify, or ask the AI to check a species name, the following is sent over an encrypted connection to BerryMate's own server function, which forwards it to Anthropic's Claude API for processing:

• the photo you chose to identify (downscaled), or the species name you typed;
• the names of any custom species you track, so the answer can include them;
• your app language, so the answer comes back in your language;
• an App Attest token proving the request came from a genuine copy of BerryMate. It contains no personal data and does not identify you.

No location, no name, no account identifier and no other log data is sent. Photos are processed to produce the suggestion and are not stored on our server. Anthropic processes the request as our data processor under its API terms; API inputs are not used to train its models. If you never use the AI features, BerryMate makes no network requests at all.

What we do not do

• No accounts, sign-in, or email collection.
• No analytics, crash reporting, advertising or tracking SDKs.
• No selling or sharing of personal data. No profiling.

Your rights

Because your data lives on your device, you control it directly: edit or delete any walk, find, spot, photo or species in the app at any time, or delete the app to remove everything. We hold no personal data about you to access, export or erase. Under the GDPR you may still contact us with any question at hello@ginnypix.com.

Children

BerryMate is not directed at children under 13 and collects no data from anyone.

Changes

If this policy changes materially, the updated version will be published here with a new date, and the app will be updated to link to it.